Say Goodbye to Bentley’s Big V8

It is time for us to say goodbye to the 6.8 liter V8 engine that served as the powerhouse for Bentley’s lineup. Produced in 1959, this big V8 engine will be discontinued once the current Mulsanne gets refreshed. With its rich history and a great roaring sound, this engine will always have a special place in the car community.

This monster V8 was supposed to retire in the 1990s, when Bentley started putting BMW engines in their cars. Many engineers wanted to discontinue the 6.8 liter engine to replace it with BMW’s 4.4 liter V8 which they deemed superior. Thankfully, VW disagreed and stuck with their classic engine to this day. The most current version of this engine powers Bentley’s super luxury cars with a pair of turbos, and a refined cylinder design.

We are very disappointed to see this legendary engine go. However, with the increasing demand for more power, better efficiency, and stricter government regulations, the decision to remove a 57-year-old engine was inevitable. This is why the future Bentley Mulsanne will be powered by 12 cylinder engines. Even though it was time for Bentley to retire their ancient engine, we cannot emphasize how much we cherished the big V8 that has served us. We can only hope that the new V12 will be as outstanding as this one was.